Tens of thousands of South Korean doctors protested.

Yesterday marked the 13th day of the strike by thousands of medical trainees at general hospitals across the country. The government claims the plan will address the shortage of medical personnel, as South Korea has one of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios among developed nations.

Meanwhile, doctors fear the reforms will lower the quality of medical education and services, but proponents of the plan accuse doctors of trying to protect their salaries and social status.

'Overworked and not listened to': South Korean doctors stage mass strike.

According to Yonhap, crowds gathered yesterday in Yeouido district in western Seoul, waving flags and holding banners protesting admission quotas without the consent of the medical profession. Prior to yesterday's protest, numerous online posts claimed that some doctors were pressuring pharmaceutical company salespeople to participate. Authorities stated that such behavior could constitute unlawful coercion and violate the Medical Services Act.

The South Korean President's office announced on the same day that it would respond "without tolerance" to doctors who allegedly encouraged drug dealers to join the protests that are causing a crisis in the country's healthcare industry. The government set a deadline of February 29 and threatened criminal prosecution and license revocation, but this seems ineffective as only a few hundred have returned to work so far.

Doctors participate in a protest in Seoul on March 3.

Kim Taek-woo, head of the KMA's emergency committee, warned yesterday that the government would face public backlash "if it ignores the efforts of doctors and tries to suppress them." The doctors' strike has affected surgeries and emergency care at many hospitals.

"If the situation of unauthorized absences from medical facilities continues, the government will not hesitate to fulfill its duties as stipulated in the constitution and laws," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at a meeting in Seoul.

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min attempted to defuse the situation by saying that trainee doctors would receive maximum leniency if they returned to work on March 3. Conversely, the government would have no choice but to "deal with them strictly according to the law." The minister emphasized that increasing the enrollment quota by 2,000 people per year was not a significant number due to the growing demand for the biotechnology industry, which is projected to be a new growth engine for South Korea, requiring a large workforce.

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